Email Signup

Wayne Rogers has passed away. He was an actor most known for playing Captain “Trapper” John McIntyre on the M*A*S*H television show of the 1970s. Also an investor, Rogers was more recently a regular panelist on the Fox News Channel show, Cashin’ In.

I took portraits of Rogers several years ago for a cover story in Emerald Coast magazine written by Scott Jackson. I photographed Rogers at his beach condo in Destin, Florida, during Jackson’s interview. He was kind and laid back, giving us plenty of time to complete the interview and get the photos we needed, and he even posed for fan snapshots with us when the work was done.

Wayne Rogers.

I took some unposed, ambient shots of Wayne Rogers during the interview to give the creative director and design team additional options. Then for his portrait session, I set up some lights in the living room and photographed him lounging in a chair. As is typical with photographing celebrities, Rogers was able to simply turn on the charm for the camera, which makes things easy. Lighting was simple; the main light was a small softbox in close to him at camera left. In some shots I bounced another light or two (also at camera left but further back) off the ceiling to raise the exposure of the background above the ambient level.

You never know what’s going to happen during a photo shoot on location, and this time was no different. I still chuckle when I think back on it. Wayne Rogers and Scott Jackson were sitting on the couch, just beginning the interview as I was getting my gear situated. Rogers’ wife, Amy Hirsh, came in from a walk with their two Yorkshire Terriers. One of the dogs, Capo, immediately snapped its head around and locked its eyes on Jackson. An intruder! With a warrior yap, it charged right past me and toward him, transforming from a cute, little dog into a blur of fury. I watched in curious anticipation as it leaped into the air and sailed in slow motion towards the unsuspecting Jackson. Closer and closer it flew – eyes squinting with determination, jaws wide open – until it had reached him at knee-height, where his hand rested, and attached itself to the tip of Jackson’s finger with its tiny, sharp teeth. “Yeeow!” Jackson yelped in painful surprise while jumping out of his seat. I swiftly excused myself as Rogers and Hirsh tended to him. Once out of earshot, I erupted in belly laughter while feeling slightly guilty for my delight in Jackson’s misfortunes. He was fine, of course; he had Trapper John to care for the wound.

This image was shot in downtown Tallahassee, Florida, using traffic lights and other street lights to form the background. These lights are turned into glowing globes by using a large aperture (f/4.0) and a longer focal length (200mm) while keeping the subject (and focus) close to the camera. The ambient lights dictate my exposure.

I used four speedlights to light James, our detective model. The trick to this shot is that his cigarette “lighter,” which is casting the light on his face, is actually a Read More

Marilyn Little rides RF Quarterman through the Sawgrass Water fence during Cross Country at the Red Hills International Horse Trials in Tallahassee, Florida.

The Red Hills International Horse Trials is one of the best events Tallahassee photographers can shoot. It’s outdoors in the capital city in the spring, the season of perfect weather in northwest Florida. Resurrection fern-covered and Spanish moss-draped Southern Live Oak trees create a picture-perfect backdrop for the equestrian event, held in beautiful Elinor Klapp-Phipps Park on the north side of town, near Lake Jackson.

The Cross Country course, designed by Hugh Lochore, is my favorite, mixing adventure, athleticism, risk, and triumph. Plus, spectators are close to the action; rider and horse together leap over jumps mere feet away. It’s difficult not to hold one’s breath each time the pounding hooves go silent as they leave the ground and go airborne. Also exciting is the spray of water jettisoned into the air as horse and rider enter a water obstacle, such as the Sawgrass Water fence.

I like the challenge of catching and preserving a moment while shooting action, and I’m grateful as a Tallahassee photographer that I can photograph the Red Hills International Horse Trials. I hope you enjoy this selection of my best images from the Cross Country phase. Please click on an image to license it or to purchase prints. More images are available in my photo archive here.

Katherine Rivera rides Royal Lufttanzer over the Shire Bound Trunk fence during Cross Country at the Red Hills International Horse Trials in Tallahassee.

Jennie Jarnstrom rides Cape Town over the Hammock fence during Cross Country at the Red Hills International Horse Trials in Tallahassee.

Lisa Barry rides F.I.S. Prince Charming over the Hammock fence during Cross Country at the Red Hills International Horse Trials in Tallahassee.

Mikka Kuchta rides Rubens D’Ysieux in a blur toward the Hog House fence during Cross Country at the Red Hills International Horse Trials in Tallahassee.

Kelly Prather rides Blackfoot Mystery through the Sawgrass Water fence during Cross Country at the Red Hills International Horse Trials in Tallahassee.

Marilyn Little smiles as she rides RF Quarterman through the Sawgrass Water fence during Cross Country at the Red Hills International Horse Trials in Tallahassee.

Caroline Martin and Quantum Solace stumble on the Sawgrass Water fence during Cross Country at the Red Hills International Horse Trials in Tallahassee.

Caroline Martin clings to Quantum Solace’s neck after the horse stumbled on the Sawgrass Water fence during Cross Country at the Red Hills International Horse Trials in Tallahassee.

A sailboat sits on the horizon during a vibrant beach sunset in Venice, Florida. Click to license or to purchase prints.

I hope you had a nice holiday season. I spent Christmas with my family in Venice, Florida. One evening, the sunset was shaping up to be interesting, so I grabbed the camera and hit the beach to do some landscape photography. The sky was fairly cloudy, and as the sun set, it gave the clouds some nice color. After the sun dipped below the horizon, though, the sunset kept getting better. Although already set, the sun was still lighting the clouds in the west and we got a very vibrant, colorful sky and reflection off of the water. It became one of those amazing sunsets that only come around every once in awhile. To top it off, a sailboat sat offshore, giving me a small focal point in the scene.

Portrait of Tony Hale, an Emmy-winning actor, with a yellow toy duck at the Young Actors Theatre in Tallahassee, Florida.

I had the opportunity to work with Tallahassee’s Emmy Award-winning actor, Tony Hale, when he visited home recently. Hale is known for playing Buster Bluth on the Fox comedy series Arrested Development and for playing Gary Walsh on the HBO comedy series Veep. Read More